Sleeping Beauty
by CSI Projects
Summary: Something terrible happens to Lindsay, while Danny isout of town


Author: Aiden-was-a-hottie

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: The only thing I own here is the laptop I typed this on – CSI belongs to CBS.

Summary: An accident occurs, but nobody is around to help Lindsay wake up.

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**As the plane skimmed the ground and gradually came to a gentle stop at Miami airport Horatio Kane waited anxiously to greet his friends from New York. He adjusted his shades and calmly wandered closer to the aircraft, as the staircase lowered Horatio was standing proudly at the bottom. In the glorious days sunshine, his hair was a fiery shade or orange and was whimpering sporadically in the light breeze. 

Horatio looked to the top of the staircase, where he could see Mac Taylor and Danny Messer making their way from the plane, they each had one bag of personal belongings and their kits.

"Travelling light?" called Kane

"Always!" Mac replied with a wry smile.

"Good to see you guys and I appreciate the help" Horatio said "Now about this case…."

Back in New York Stella was feeling stressed, she was unsure whether to be upset that Mac had chosen Danny over her to accompany him to Miami or to be proud that she had been left responsible for the remainder of the team.

She and Lindsay were in the middle of an arson case, the suspected arson had taken place in a hostel on Staten Island and this case was proving to be tricky. Lindsay wandered into the break room looking mighty pleased with herself, with a wide grin she handed a folder to Stella.

"Lindsay, I could kiss you!"

"Well, maybe later! Lets go pick this guy up"

So, they at least had a suspect and the case was now firmly up and running, as they made their way to the car Stella concluded that she was indeed happy to have been left behind.

The two women were having much more luck than the remaining two men in New York, Hawkes and Flack had been tirelessly chasing dead end leads for a good few hours now and showed no signs of giving up.

As they arrived at the address of their suspect Lindsay got out of the vehicle and began to walk towards the red brick townhouse, Stella was following close behind.

Suddenly Lindsay came to a standstill, she held her arm out to the left, obstructing Stella's path.

"Problem?" Stella said in a low and quiet voice.

"Do you recognise that man?" Lindsay asked, Stella couldn't help but notice the fear in Lindsay's voice and the unsteadiness of her hand.

"I'm calling it in, Get in the car!"

Lindsay ran to the car and leapt into the passenger seat, once she had locked the doors she burst into tears.

Stella came to the vehicle and held Lindsay close, she had decided against confronting the man and had instead told dispatch of his location and informed them she would tail him until back up arrived.

As Stella skilfully dodged between traffic she tried to engage Lindsay

"Don't worry kid, We're gonna nail this bastard!"

Lindsay nodded but in her heart she didn't quite believe it, after all, she believed she had nailed him with her crushing testimony at last years trial only to discover he had escaped custody just 3 months later.

"Stell.." Stella gave Lindsay a deep glance, then Lindsay continued, "He's here looking for me isn't he? He killed my friends and I sent him to prison, he's either here to finish the job he started years ago or he wants to punish me for testifying at the trial" by this point Lindsay was getting hysterical and was having difficulty breathing, tears engulfed her face and Stella could see that this kid was in a very desperate and sensitive state.

The car stopped. Stella took off her safety belt and leaned over to embrace the hysterical scared little girl she saw beside her.

Lindsay allowed herself a few minutes to become that scared little girl, then, she pulled away from Stella, pulled down her visor to allow herself to see her reflection in the mirror and wiped her red and blotchy face with her coat sleeve.

She took a deep breath and felt a surge of courage and energy.

"You know what Stell?" Stella looked meaningfully at her "We are gonna nail this bastard, today!"

"You sure you're up for this" Stella asked

"Oh yeah" came the sharp reply.

As Stella started up the engine again her stomach felt warm and she allowed herself a grin. She thought to herself that Lindsay's reaction was one just like she would have had and she also thought how proud she was of this young woman's bravery and determination.

Flack had heard the call on his radio and decided to join the search with Sheldon "Where's the suspect now Stella?" he enquired

Stella's heart sunk, she only stopped for a few seconds to calm Lindsay but it proved too much ground to make up

"Don, I lost him, last seen heading east off Eastman Avenue"

"Copy that"

Stella now had this same feeling of determination she had seen in Lindsay and they set about searching back streets and alleys.

A call from Flack came through the radio, it alerted the girls to the fact that the suspect had been sighted by the boys heading into a warehouse very nearby, they agreed that they should meet at the front of the building and then devise a plan to corner him.

Stella screeched the vehicle to a halt and Lindsay could no longer hold back her eagerness as she unbuckled and exited the car hastily. Soon Flack and Hawkes had joined them outside the old, shabby looking building.

"Lindsay, you and I will take the rear, Stell and Sheldon will take the front!"

"Sure thing Flack" Sheldon piped in.

As they were strapping their vests on Stella leaned in to hug Lindsay and whispered in her ear, to the others it was inaudible but Lindsay nodded and seemed to be perked up judging by the half smile she gave Stella.

The two teams split and as Lindsay and Don headed south to the rear door he gave her hand a tight squeeze, she looked up to him and he gave her a cheeky wink. Poised at each door, Don gave the command and both teams entered their respective doors with force and haste.

Stella caught sight of a figure running up a staircase in the centre of the lobby and both teams gave chase.

Upstairs was very cramped with boxes and old filing cabinets strewn all over, the teams soon became isolated from one another, although they were vocal.

"Clear!" Stella called "Here too" called Sheldon. Don walked into the hallway where Stella and Hawkes had convened. He was shaking his head, proving his search had too, been fruitless.

"Where's Linds?" Stella said with a sharpening panic in her tone.

Don called out for her but a reply could not be heard.

"Sshh" Hawkes had heard something, it was a thump from behind their current position, and then again the sound could be heard.

Suddenly a vicious growling noise and a spine tingling shriek rippled throughout the old building. Without hesitation Don ran towards the scream, as he opened the rusty metal door he was greeted with the sight of Lindsay laying on the ground with the man leaning over her, he had a weapon. As Don approached, the man heaved Lindsay up and help the weapon to her throat – "It's a knife Don" Lindsay said, she received a slap for her troubles.

Don nodded to Lindsay and with his signal she thumped her attacker as Don ran to grapple with him.

Lindsay ran to Stella as the sound of sirens rang out around the empty and deserted street below, suddenly she began violently shaking and Stella noticed a blood drop on her white pumps "You're bleeding Lindsay!" she said calmly, not wishing to panic her. As Stella looked at Lindsay the colour drained from her face and she became blotchy very rapidly, it was then that Sheldon noticed the small gash on Lindsay's fingertip. It was very small but bleeding heavily and the wound itself was surrounded by a yellow fluid.

Hawkes helped Lindsay downstairs while Stella radioed for an ambulance, as it was clear something was not quite right for Lindsay to react in such a way to such a small wound.

Don had come out on top in his wrestling match with the suspect and soon had him cuffed and taken away, Sheldon had accompanied Lindsay to the hospital.

"Get me the knife Don" Stella said, as she took the knife she noticed it was covered in the same yellow liquid as Lindsay's wound.

"What you thinking Stell?

"Poison" came the stern reply.

Don and Stella were de-vesting outside when her cell phone rang

"Hawkes talk to me!" she stood silently and occasionally nodded in response to Sheldon's news, she swallowed hard and pressed the 'end call' button.

"Stella?" Don was anxious

"Lindsay lost consciousness on route to the hospital, she had a seizure and it is looking pretty grim Don!"

"Shit"

A lab tech took the knife to the lab while Stella and Don joined up with Sheldon at Lindsay's bedside, a nurse came into the room and informed the gang of Lindsay's condition.

"Lindsay's wound is very minor and a fair amount of blood was lost, but not enough to have caused the seizure or to have made her lose consciousness, we have tried to rouse her but nothing seems to be working and her organs are slowing at an alarming rate, she is in a light coma at present and we are unsure of the outlook at this time"

Everybody stood silently. Stella left.

Outside Stella again took a deep breath and wiped her brow, her cell phone vibrated in her breast pocket, it was the tech.

Inside Don was sitting adjacent to Lindsay and was holding her hand when suddenly Stella came bounding in.

"Spider venom!" she called "the bastard poisoned her… where's that damn nurse!" again, she left.

After a short while she had returned and alerted the others that the antidote was being administered via a needle momentarily. They were all relieved but none of them wanted or, indeed could, leave her bedside.

"Danny!" Sheldon broke the silence "I gotta give him a call"

As Danny left Horatio's lab he and Mac were headed to a bar before catching their flight back to NYC. His phone rang from his holdall. He placed it on the ground as he fished inside for his handset.

"I'll walk on ahead" Mac said as he passed

"Hawkes, how's it going…..what?" Danny spoke for a few more minutes before informing Sheldon his case here was finished and he was headed home.

"Mac" Danny called, Mac turned to see Danny sprinting towards him looking very anxious, as Danny began to speak a lump appeared in his throat. Mac gave him a comforting hug, slapped him on the back and said "And you think this will stop Lindsay? I thought you knew her better than that!" they both joined in with a halfhearted smile and a little laugh before racing to the airstrip.

Stella handed Don a cup of coffee and handed Sheldon a fruit juice "Pah! Why does the coffee from these machines always taste like crap?" Don said meaningfully, much to Stella's amusement. The nurse came back in and alerted the group to the fact that there was no real change in Lindsay's condition other than that she had responded well to the antidote and that her body was still acting and behaving slowly and there was no hint as to when she may wake up.

"All this from a prick on the finger, unbelievable!" Sheldon said, shaking his head

"Well this bastard certainly knew what he was doing"

"Indeed Detective Bonasera" Don said sarcastically "Now who's for Starbucks? I can't take this grit flavoured machine coffee any longer." And with that he left on his coffee related mission.

Stella stayed at Lindsay's side all day long and into the early evening, Sheldon was constantly pestering the nurses for updated information, of which there was none. As they sat underneath the window, with the sun setting over the New York skyline the door opening with a burst, in walked Danny and Mac. Danny went straight over to the bedside and clasped Lindsay's hand whilst stroking her hair with the other hand. Mac caught up with the situation thanks to helpful tales from Stella and Hawkes, the time passed uneventfully and Don soon returned with a few coffees for the group. Stella decided it would be appropriate for the gang to give Danny some time alone with their friend and they went out into the hallway.

Danny was deeply upset by the whole affair and tears filled his panicked eyes as he began to speak to Lindsay "All you had to do was call if you wanted me to come home!" he said, trying to break a smile into his expression, he stayed a while longer and the others made their way back in. As they were walking in Danny said to Lindsay "Look at you, Sleeping Beauty, wake up Montana I love you." Tears were rolling silently down his cheek and he removed his glasses. Stella put her arms over his shoulders and gave him a slight squeeze. He gave Lindsay a gentle kiss on her dried lips and walked towards the window.

"Danny?" said a quiet voice "Is that you?"

"Lindsay!" Danny said as he excitedly leapt up from his seat and wandered over, he stroked her forehead once again as a huge smile engulfed his complexion. "You feeling ok?"

"Fine Danny, don't worry, I was just waiting for you!"

Danny once again had a tear rolling down his cheek

"Oh, I love you too!" Lindsay said with a weak smile

"Get outta here!" He replied giving her another kiss.

Don informed the group that the suspect was safely on route to a high security unit and a cheer rang out around the room.

The nurse was pleased with her recovery and told her she would have a few further tests before being discharged the following morning. Danny decided he would stay with her.

As the gang, minus Danny were leaving for the night Lindsay piped up to say "Mac, I think I'm going to need a personal day tomorrow"

The team all laughed and left smiling and relieved while Danny gave his girlfriend a kiss and a tight hand squeeze.

"So, did you miss me" he said

Lindsay gave him a playful slap and they laughed before embracing.

The sun finally set over New York and Lindsay finally felt relaxed, safe in the knowledge that the man that has plagued her life can't harm her anymore and knowing that she had a man who honestly thought the world of her, she fell asleep contented and, in the back of her mind was the thought of waking up naturally, free from venom and with her Prince Charming close by.


End file.
